Two commercial Dungeness crab fishers will no longer be allowed to harvest the shellfish after the California Fish and Game Commission suspended their commercial fishing licenses and permits due to multiple violations, including abandoning dozens of traps each.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), a joint patrol off the Klamath River following the 2023-24 Dungeness crab season uncovered at least 107 abandoned traps belonging to 66-year-old Gilroy resident Darryl Donovan. Officers noted multiple violations by Donovan, including failure to service traps within 96 hours, failure to submit fishing reports, and using untagged and improperly marked buoys.
A separate investigation after the 2024-25 season uncovered 87 abandoned crab traps belonging to 60-year-old Crescent City resident Terry Groat. Officers accused Groat of the same violations as Donovan, as well as the "permitting or causing the waste of hundreds of Dungeness crabs."
“CDFW emphasizes that compliance with commercial fishing regulations – particularly removing traps at the end of each season – is essential,” the department said in a social media post. “Those who abandon traps not only endanger marine mammals and other wildlife that can become trapped or entangled in derelict gear, but they can also cause shortened fishing seasons for law-abiding fishers who depend on those opportunities for their livelihood.”
CDFW recommended that the fishers’ licenses and permits be suspended, and during its August meeting, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to suspend their commercial fishing licenses for two years and their Dungeness crab vessel permits for four years.
